“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”

What is a best friend? Is it someone you tell all of your troubles to, or someone you save from that agony? Is it someone who is always there for you or only there when something horrible happens and you need a shoulder to cry on? Is it someone who needs you just as much as you need them, or are best friends self-sufficient creatures who find you when they feel like it and not a second before? Are best friends for a lifetime, or can they adjust and shift like amoebas around you for a while and then move to the next zygote?

The simple answer to all of those questions is yes. Yes, a best friend is what you make of her, whoever she happens to be. She can be a listener, a talker, a shoulder, a teacher, a value lesson, and even a transient being in your life, around when you need her and only when you need her. A best friend knows when you’re down, senses it like a shadow you trail around that’s larger than you, and she knows how to lift you up, even if she doesn’t realize she knows. A best friend is a savior when you’re drowning, a port in the storm, and a cause for joy. She should never be taken for granted because not everyone has a best friend.

A best friend makes you soup when you’re sick, and then feeds it to you slowly and carefully. She records a playlist for you on a CD because she knows you’re old school and it means more to you in physical form. She walks to the corner store with you because you don’t want to go there alone. She laughs at your corny jokes because you look so crazy repeating them. She knows you better than you know yourself because you share a connection that is stronger than blood and costs far less. A best friend is a lifeline when you simply need someone to be there. She will drop everything to be by your side.

I’m amazed when people say, “Oh, she’s only a friend,” because friends are so much more than the lowest form this supposes. And a best friend is a cut above even those standard friends. A best friend gives you chocolate when that’s what you crave, but before you know you’re craving it. A best friend sends you pictures of cute baby animals because she knows you need to smile. She enjoys your company just as much as you enjoy hers, and she can often be found writing sweet little notes to you just to make your day better. A best friend loves you infinitely.